Guillen: We need everybody

White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen stopped short Friday of saying that improved second-half performances from first baseman Paul Konerko and starting pitcher Jose Contreras are crucial to the Sox' chances of prevailing in the A.L. Central Division.

However, Guillen did encourage his team leaders to put the season's first 94 games out of their respective minds and approach the final 68 games with a fresh outlook.

"I told them erase what you did," Guillen said. "With the ballclub we have right now we should compete. Those guys have to go out and play good. I'm not saying we played bad, but we were a little inconsistent."

Contreras is 7-6 with a 4.60 ERA in 19 starts. He has allowed 127 hits and 61 earned runs in 119 innings.

Konerko, who played in just 68 of 94 games in the first half due to a Grade 1 oblique strain, finished the first half batting .217 (55-for-253) with 9 doubles, 9 home runs and 34 RBI.

Guillen welcomed Contreras back from the All-Star break with what he described as a friendly, low-key, heart-to-heart chat.

"I just talked to him as a friend," Guillen said. "He was a little tired in the second half. Everything is fine. I not saying that I'm putting pressure on him, but I told him we can't win without him.

"We need everyone, all 25 guys, to win. If Jose throws like he did at the beginning of the season, it will be easy for us every five days."

Home boost: Friday's 9-5 victory over Kansas City gave the White Sox the best record in baseball since May 14 (37-20). Much of that success is derived from their success at U.S. Cellular Field, where the Sox have won 12 of their last 14 and 21 of their last 25.

Expect the trend to continue. The White Sox have won six in a row against Kansas City at The Cell, where they have gone 33-9 against the Royals since 2004.

Mile-stone's throw away: Jim Thome went 1-for-3 with 2 walks and an RBI Friday, pulling him with 2 hits of 2,000 for his career. Thome has gone 13-for-16 during his current 7-game hitting streak.